Chapter 24. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Teaser Kuranosuke takes a night off from the Amars to cope with his own growing feelings for Tsukimi. Mayaya and Banba track him down to demand food, too. Caught, Kuranosuke grabs a wig from a friend to hide his identity and ends up exposing the Amars to ridicule. Summary Kuranosuke leaves Amamizukan disappointed and frustrated again about his feelings for Tsukimi. His distraction leads him to collide with another pedestrian, who happens to be the same woman who has unknowingly run into him in public bathrooms twice. He extends his hand to help her up, playing the part his attire matches, and she immediately equates him to Oscar from The Rose of Versaillees. Kuranosuke moves on, still fretting and trying hard not to admit that he has romantic feelings for Tsukimi. His phone rings and its an old friend lamenting that they haven't spoken in so long. Not particularly enthused, he agrees to go wherever he's being invited to. Tsukimi remains in a trance, sending Mayaya into multiple tizzies trying to figure it out. Her noise wakes up Chieko and Jiji, who reveal that they drank too much while out eating with "Kurako." Chieko explains that she wants to be in the Amars, and Mayaya goes on a glorious rant about bribes disrespecting the honor of the Amars. Banba's straightforward admission that she wants some Peking duck, too, prompts Chieko to state that "Kurako," the rich daughter of the Koibuchis, would buy some for them. Mayaya does a 180. Tsukimi doesn't snap out of her trance until Mayaya shakes her, demanding to know Kuranosuke's cell phone number. Tsukimi's total freeze time: 25 minutes and 42 seconds. At the club, Kuranosuke is greeted by cute girls but he just wants to hang out alone at the bar. They ask him what he's been doing since he's not partying with them or going to classes. Kuranosuke thinks that if he told them the truth, they just wouldn't be able to get it. He watches the night club and pictures Tsukimi at her jellyfish tank talking to Clara. He thinks that despite both of them living in Tokyo, they live in different worlds. More like different planets. He seizes onto that thought as the explanation for why he's so upset... and slips into a scifi fantasy. :Kuranosuke's rocket ship lands on a strange planet. He explores in an EVA suit, speaking into a recorder that he doesn't expect to find intelligent life. Tsukimi walks up to him awkwardly and speaking an alien language, a non-ocean Clara by her side. Kuranosuke reassures her that he comes in peace and shows off his fashion from his home planet. Scared, Tsukimi grabs Clara and tries to go away. Mayaya and Banba aliens show up next, yelling at the "Stylish" in their alien tongue. Chieko approaches and speaks clearly that she is the leader. :Chieko explains that their Planet Amars was almost destroyed by Stylings and that they cannot welcome him. Kuranosuke explains that style is fun and gives them all makeovers. He then takes Tsukimi to Planet Stylish. Shuu is waiting for him, wondering where he's been. Kuranosuke starts to introduce his brother to Tsukimi, only to notice that she is struck by him. Pulling himself out of the fantasy, Kuranosuke has his elbow on the bar and is resting his forehead against his hand. He's trying to connect the dots, feeling resentment that this was how he got repaid. "So does that mean, somewhere deep down, I assumed... is that it? I assumed dowdy old Tsukimi would naturally fall in love with me, but instead, she fell in love with my extremely uncool 30-yea-old virgin of a brother." Princess Jellyfish manga Kodansha (2-in-1 Edition): Volume 4, Chapter 24, Page 375 Kuranosuke convinces himself that he's just angry that the magician who turned Tsukimi into a princess doesn't get to be her prince, but not because he was in love with her. Mayaya calls him on his phone and decides to go meet him at the club with Banba and Tsukimi. She's determined to get her Peking duck, too, while Kuranosuke is completely taken aback that any of the Amars would come to the club. He tries to warn Mayaya that its a completely different world, but she states that she's aware and will bring Tsukimi along. Once she's hung up, Mayaya describes her misunderstanding of the situation, thinking that Kurako is at a club for butterfly maniacs. Mayaya and Banba drag Tsukimi along, thinking that they are getting her Peking duck for her own good. During the ride over on the public transport, Tsukimi tries to process the fact that Kuranosuke told her that she's into his brother. If that were true, that would make her like a normal girl. She doesn't want to act like she's better than she is, and being into someone would mean getting kicked out of Amamizukan. Kuranosuke rushes until he finds Mika, and takes her wig off her head, telling her that he'll buy her a drink later to pay her back for the temporary loan. He meets the three Amars outside the club, where Mayaya demands he buy them peking duck too. Three of Kuranosuke's Stylish friends, including Mika, had followed him out and they a stunned to see the other three girls. They ask Kuranosuke if he knows them while Mayaya, Banba, and Tsukimi all petrify. Characters in Order of Appearance Quotes Princess Jellyfish manga Kodansha (2-in-1 Edition): Volume 4, Chapter 24, Page 366 Trivia * The chapter title comes from the 1977 sci-fi movie of the same name. References Category:Manga Category:Volume 4